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Balance and polish

As always, every time a new boss is added to the game, it ends up being too difficult for the average player after some playtesting. The Queen was no exception, even if she's not completely finished.So, I'm taking some extra time to balance her, including how the attack types are distributed, and how the player can replenish resources during the fight.

Besides that, there was an overall revision of many details on all the areas. Some of the tilework that hinted at hidden areas without actually having anything there was changed. The last couple of items was added, some of them having dedicated rooms with small puzzles.
Log entries were updated to their latest revision, and the map data is pretty much finished.

We're getting closer to a complete game, and I appreciate that you followed the process all this time.

I've been following this project since the beginning, and boy has it been one heck of a ride. As a coding/computing fanatic myself, I was blown away so many times by your leaps and bounds in progress regarding understanding the coding experience, I've loved seeing you evolve with this project. What you've done for the Metroid community is stunning beyond words, and you've no doubt cemented your masterpiece into the hearts of Metroid fans everywhere for decades to come. As someone who detests Metroid II, I find myself loving this even more than fusion. I just wanted to stop by and make my appreciation known. I'm glad I was born in the age when Metroid existed, and although you are not the most well known influence on the franchise as a whole, you are definitely the best we've seen in a long time.

Considering the rest of 2016 sans Pokemon looks bleak for gaming, this is definitely where my hype is directed at. We should be thanking you, Doc, for never quitting on the project. You could have just thrown in the towel at times, but you didn't.

Some time ago i downloaded this game and absolutley loved it and eargly await the finished product. When i playedbefore i used a wired xbox controller with no problems. Now i want to play this again, however, this game and M:C do not recognize the controller i am using, which is a wii u pro controller connected through a mayflash adapter. Has anyone ele pointed this out to you, or have you ever tried this out yourself? I would love any possible feedback.Goood luck on the imminent finish!

The more than 10 year wait for the complete game will be so worth it! Very anxious to play this game once it's complete. I have a question regarding the first release of the complete game. When you add area 5, will the next release include the Accomplishments or will it just be the raw game until further updates? I only ask because I would do all those accomplishments like the ones from Confrontation.

Oh wow!!! I just started following this game and I am extremely looking forward to this game! The lack of proper Metroid games will surely make his remake shine. Maybe in the future you will make an original IP, if that day comes, feel free to contact me, I have various plots for video games, but I just lack the proper skill to make them come to life. I can also adapt to any plots you might come up with. Good luck with the final stages of the game!

I'm so hyped for this. We all know there will be nothing exciting about Metroid at E3 this year and you are making E3 2016 a lot more fun. I really feels like a new Metroid game is coming, in all its glory and it looks so good. I really love the menus, the log entries, the pacing, the gameplay, etc. it feels like a new and GOOD metroid game. I know it will be excellent. version 1.41 was amazing and it is my favorite 2d Metroid. I've played all of them and this is is BY FAR the best. I consider it an Official Metroid game because of the quality and amount of work put into it.

congrats, doc. remember I'm still available to help with the french translation.

Could you implement an option to have Samus seamless transition from rolling in morph-ball form to running? From both a gameplay and scientific/in-world perspective it doesn't make sense for Samus to come to a complete halt when morphing. Otherwise, I have no complaints gameplay-wise.

i've gotta be honest,i've never so hyped for a game before,Metroid is one of my favorite franchises of Nintendo,and seeing a remake of Metroid 2,made me so excited,i knew about this project thanks to DYKG,and from the pasts demos since 1.3 i've finishing the game in 1 and half hour or less in normal mode qith 100% items,i hope some extra items could be more hidden,to be a challenge for me,not for all the people but for those who wanted to finish a game with a 100%

Hey, I have been monitoring your progress on this remake, and have watched the building up of it and even the porting to another engine. You have done an excellent job and I really hope the best for your project. It has amazing potential.Cheers!

I hate being that guy, but it's just the way it works unfortunately. I literally just discovered this project 5 days ago and I am super excited. I cannot wait for it to be done. I can only imagine what it was like for everyone either involved with or following the project for what, eight years I think I read?

Wow I can't believe this project is almost done, I've been following since 2008 W.I.P screenshot watermarks :P it all started when I was about 11 and I was looking for some free metroid games I could download, I saw prime 2d, fsmr, and many more... All dead except this one and it's incredible it's still going... wow. Great job doc!

Way to see this through to the end. It's always sad to see such promising projects like this left dead, and seeing AM2R making its way to final development makes me happy. I love the game, and I wish Nintendo could still make Metroid the way you're making it now!

Wanna know what I did up to this point?Since the 1.41 release I payed through the game on all three modes and spiderballed across every surface in the game and spacejumped EVERYWHERE.And it was a fun way to waste my time, but you know what?I'm gonn do it again with the next update. But this time, I'm not going to do it to waste time. If Nintendo mess their release up, I'll spacejump and spiderball your game and absorb the atmosphereand the design and declare for myself that AM2R is the final Metroid to be released.So please take your time. I'll need a proper Metroid if Federation Force fails.All the bestTom

please please please please add android support. do it like how Undertale (written with Game Maker) is somewhat portable to android. I've tried doing it myself, but it always gets screwed up. my dream is to be able to play this game with a MOGA controller on the go. I loved the gameboy metroids mainly because they were so accessible. If you could get a port that works with a controller, nothing more, I'd be more than satisfied.

I know I'm not the only one who notices the timeframe of when you post your updates, and when to expect them. I just checked each day for the past few days, knowing that it was time. Thank you for always providing updates and your consistent work and dedication to your project.

I've been watching this project for so long that I can hardly believe the end is in sight. I've seen lots of fan projects die for one reason or another well before this point. Congratulations on a job well (almost) done. Just from the demos and screenshots I've seen I can tell this is gonna be great!

Like many on this blog I've been following your work since the early days Doc! BRAVO with the latest demo!! It got my heart pumping in the Tower more than most triple A titles in the last several years!!! Please, please, please, please, please, please have a contingency plan ready in case the big N decides to devour your work of passion! I don't trust them to do anything but devour good things like this and subject us to "Product Other Zero" - your work cannot go from zero to nothing!!!! I'm GASPING to see the end of this!

In terms of feedback, I only have two things: 1) I use an XBox 360 controller and I find the Shinespark frustrating to initiate, 2) Any way you can put an audio limiter on the "beam deflect" sound that happens when you shoot an armoured enemy with the Wave/Spazer/Plasma beam combo? It's ear-piercing!

Hey doc, you have put a lot of time and work into this game... and it shows! I've been following this project for three years, and i have been so excited for it! Keep up the work, doc! I cant wait for the game to be finished, this is the metroid game nintendo refuses to make but we all want!

I've been following the project for some time and I'm extremely happy that it is nearing completion. There are so many fan projects that fall by the wayside, but AM2R has soldiered on! Thank you for all the work you have done over the past years Doc.

I hope that when Nintendo realizes the popularity of this they will actually make a proper new 2d Metroid themselves, too. But honestly, it would be difficult to make something beter than what you are doing. Incredible work. I am eagerly looking forward to play the final release. I loye your patience with this project, nothing in the game seems rushed. Good luck with finishing the game : )

@Hero of HyruleAny xinput and directx USB controller will work. If your wireless controller already works on your PC, it'll work. Personally I use a Mayflash Super Joy Box 5 Pro (directx PS1/2 to USB adapter), so I can use up-to four Playstation Dualshock1/2 controllers on my PC and it works perfectly with AM2R. As does my xbox360 controller, which is xinput.

It's been quite a long journey, hasn't it? I've been following this project for a few years and I'm glad to see that it's getting ever so close to being complete!

Still.. this is a pet peeve of mine, but I would like to see another entry for at least one more big hostile alien boss that isn't a machine nor a metroid, much like Arachnus whom you fought in Area 2. I like a bit of a balance variety of battles ya know?

I did mention about a boss concept designs a while back in a previous comment that could fit right in, and I actually made a sketch of it.

This is a gecko-centipede type beast with a thick layer of solid magma skin. I have not given it a name nor an attack pattern description, or even a color palette, that's for you to decide! I would be more than happy to allow you and the other members to use this concept design for this game, I don't desire to have my name in the credits anyways. Or perhaps you might consider making an original hostile alien boss yourselves! All I want is to see this fan game become the best that it can possibly be!

friends I am hyped and excited because the fact that the game's development is near to it's completion,i can not wait to be able to get the game, play continiusly and them upload the package to my OwnCloud if Nintendo does something to the project because of the fact that the Metroid licence is owned by Nintendo, waiting for the final release :)

I've been following this blog not for long, but I knew this existed for about seven years. Just wasn't that interested, as the game clearly wasn't finished yet at that time. Lots of work was to be done.

@Anonymous (replied) Alright, thank you for informing me of this. I wasn't sure if other controllers besides Xbox and PS were compatible with AM2R since it only showed a Xbox controller and I wanted to play it retro.

Hey Doc, by the last 2 items, I assume you mean the screw attack and the gravity suit. I can't wait to see what puzzles you have in store for obtaining these items. Very, very cool stuff here!! Can't wait for the final release!! You deserve a well earned vacation after completing this masterpiece for all us die hard metroid fans.

wow! I have been following this project since 2012. I love how you have incorparated Metroid sounding music and themes throughout this project. I'm also eagerly awaiting the final release. I and about 9 other people are waiting to stream it

My previous theory about this and Nintendo's involvement will be correct, I'm 100% sure of it. No, it's not me trying to convince myself that you're immune to cease and dissist orders, but I guarantee you, and everyone else who reads this, that Nintendo are definitely aware that this exists, they've played it themselves, and are aware of the feedback you're getting from people, otherwise a cease and dissist order would've made it's way into your hands long ago, along with the other Metroid 2 remakes.

From a business stand-point, I can more than imagine that Nintendo are sitting on this, waiting for it to be finished, so that they can buy it off you Doc, because realistically, what they'll pay you for it is nothing in comparison to how much they would spend making it themselves. Not only that, but they have a brand spankin', shiny new Metroid game to release under their name, and market to the people who don't know about this yet.

Doc, I'm telling you now, you'll be a rich man once this is done, (you don't know me from a bar of soap, but,) trust me.

Can't wait till it's done.Been following this for a long time now and seen many fan games and remakes start up ambitious and willing but die off sooner or later.This project, and your dedication, is really admirable and quite honestly it's inspiring.Keep up the amazing work!

As a long-time fan of Megaman (a game with no shortage of fanworks), I'm proud to say that this is the retro game project I've been looking forward to the most. Metroid II is a bit too inaccessible to the newer generation, so many of them are missing out on a critical part of Samus' lore. But...this is a form that could be shared with the world and enjoyed.

Played through already and I think you've done an extremely superb job! I'm just dreading the possibility of C&D...my friend said that they usually send those out once fan projects are officially finished projects, so I might advise not making a huge deal when it's completed, because I'd hate to see the game shut down after it's done! :/

I'm getting real pissed. I downloaded the latest version of the demo, and i try to make a save file on hard difficulty. It works for about 2 seconds. If i try to save at the first available room, it crashes. Sometimes it does work, but any time after that (at any other save station)results in crashing, and the whole file is wiped. I've tried saving and then quitting, and the file is still wiped. I've already completed the entire demo, but that file also has a random ass glitch. Again, I start a Hard file, try to save, and crash. After booting up the save file, morph ball is disabled and power grip disappears. It hasn't crashed while saving after the power grip glitch. It still has crashed, though. During the space jump torzio fight, when I had run out of missiles, i tried using a regular shot. It gave an error message and instantly crashed, and said something about hitbox 351 being undefined or invalid. Seriously, this would be a 10/10 game if i could get past a single save station on hard WITH the power grip.

been following this for only a fraction of the years you've been working on it, but I am so glad I found it! The Hype train is extremely real! I don't understand why Nintendo didn't make this themselves and take advantage of a remake that would make them so much cash! If only the father of Metroid had realized the cash cow that could've been Metroid 2: Return of Samus HD Remake. (or no HD, idc either way) I just love your work man, it's great! I've only played a little bit of the GBA M2 anyways.

OMG just started playing tonight, had to play off the Wine program on my Mac, but yea this game is such a masterpiece in the making. you're doing samus aran proud! Wish i had the means or the experience to contribute somehow, but you have all my support. Keep up the extraordinary work!

Hey Doc. I got to thinking. What is to say that the Queen couldn't have electrical and acid attacks and well as the ability of flight. It seems strange that the metroid evolution removes previous traits. I would be all for an all out brawl after we think we've defeated the queen, she brings down the house and uses the rest of her abilities as a last resort option (ala Super Metroid, escape sequence optional). The original queen fight was somewhat of a disappointment to me in the original Metroid 2 because once you knew the secret, it was way too easy because at that point you had found enough power-ups, luckily some are more discrete in yours.

I've been following the progress of this project for so long, and it's such a strange feeling to know that it's almost here. It's surreal. I'm excited for the finished game, but it's been such a joy following and anticipating your updates, and I'll miss that feeling. I'll also miss your annual April Fools Day jokes. I always enjoyed those. Thanks for the journey, Doc.

read this post a while back, but i always come back to read new comments and thought i might say a few wordsive said many times ive been following this for about 8-9 years and know its nearly over i dont know what im going to do with myself each start of the month. i always wanted a remake of metroid 2 as nintendo should of made it after zero mission, but to be fair, doc you have surpassed what nintendo could have done...its going to be sad to not check the updates any more. hopefully you will still work on confrontation.i cant wait for the the game to be finished as i will be posting speed runs but another thing i am looking forward to is the queen and the medals thank you so much for this great game to complete the sagaDOC, YOU ARE THE MAN!!all the best. terra

I discovered your project some years ago, and I always thought is was promicing, but I am not the kind who likes to see thinks little by little, but once in a while I went to the site to see the updates. And now the you are finially getting to the end, I am really looking forward to play it complete. And I believe, for what I saw, that you did an awsome job in this game. This is how you show Nintendo how to make a remake in a game that really deserves.

Hey, DoctorM64. I would love it if you made a Facebook page so I and others can keep up with your game and updates. It's a bit difficult to remember checking back on your page to see if you have posted an update because mainly I forget about the game... What reminded me to check on your page are the files of the game that I have. So if you make a Facebook page we'll be notified when you have posted an update and keeping us excited to see more. Please consider making a Facebook page, and thank you in advance.

I've always liked metroid 2, every time you beat the fixed number of metroids in an area the planet shakes. This is awesome, especially with a 360 controller, the vibration. On a scale of 1-to 10, this is a 20 all the way doc!!!! Maybe, you could consider a castlevania 3 nes remake after you're done with this masterpiece. A+++++++!!

Something that is very confusing about the Metroid Series Nintendo never straightened out.

I love this song here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mziw3FQkZYg and tried to search for remakes of it bit when I search for remakes people keep changing the name and really mean this song here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Ky2BMVWfs I don't want that song but it keeps cropping up.

They keep changing the names of the Tallon overworld to the point I'm beyond confused.

Doc m64, you've done an excellent job with this remake. A person from an earlier post said Nintendo could consider buying this from you when you're finished, and that wouldn't surprise me if they did. Even when samus is standing still, you have the two animations happening, similar to snk's metal slug series. Nintendo doesn't even have still animations for fusion or metroid zero mission. Can't wait for this masterpiece to be finished, you've surpassed Nintendo in every way Doc. Much praise!!!!!!

i am not one for fan made games and what not. they tend to be just rom hacks with little effort put in.

by mere chance i stumbled onto this site and this demo (1.41)

I am a Hardcore Classic gamer and the thought of a M2 remake has been in the back of my head since the canceled Metroid 2 DX for the GBC.

I am also a complitionist and avid game researcher. after a raw normal mode play through of your game, i went around and got the Older Demo Patches and played them as well.

as i dove into each play and studied everything that you added/changed. i saw something you don't see in fan games. an Original feel. Sure this remake is not madeby nintendo, sure its a fan game. but it was the small things that really got me.

This Demo, this game, if finished will stand out as one of the best made games out there. some names that come to mind after saying that are: Cave Story and Undertale.

even if this wasnt a remake, your skill in creating this game, shows that you arepassionate and able.

this game needs to be finished. it needs to be playable from start to end.

Just wondered for an added touch,when you drop down into the queens lair, will she break out of a huge, standard metroid cocoon? That would be awesome! Either way this fight will be epic all the way.A+++++++++++++++!!!!

Really great to see that this is comming to an end. When its good like the demos - this would be epic! On one older demo there was a 3D Option I remember - for smoother sprites and a little work for the gfx-chips. Hope this is in the final produkt too (on modern systems with big screens are pixels uncommon ;)Bye the way BIG THX for the great work!

Utterly thrilled you're on the home stretch with this project. Each demo became better and better, and you're so close now. You're doing Metroid fans a great service and wonderful homage to such an overlooked entry in the game series. Thank you and keep on coding!

Hopefully this game will be complete in this next update,if not keep up the good work,really like the game a lot since i grew up with metroids since Super Metroid,again thank you for the extra effort in making this flawless as possible,thanks.

Why balance the queen for the average player? Your audience of players are going to be experienced with Metroid, smart because they're in the computer culture, and skilled gamers because they're looking for new challenges. I want the queen to be a tough fight

I wonder if we'll have one more sub boss fight before we take on the last 6 metroids! Can't wait until the release, hopefully this month will be it!! You're the number one coder in the business doc, excellent work!

Only demo 1.41 is out so far, basically you can go past to the end of the demo, or choose to get the power bombs via the escape sequence. It's up to you.Also tester boss is optional to get through the demo, but is advised to defeat for the plasma rounds.

I've been following this project for a while, and I must say it feels so smooth and fluent. You know a cool touch would be if you power bombed the Queen in the stomach so many times and she appeared to be dead, then her head detached from her body and started attacking you, doing the zeta style green vomiting! But I know we'll all be proud with what you come up with doc!! Thanks for this grand masterpiece!!!

Guys,guys as I said in another post, the site "up to down" has a nes Ghostbusters remake and a nes castlevania 2 remake out. How come Nintendo has not c&d'd those projects? Let's stop stressing over this pllleeaaassee!! It'll make it out!! Have faith!!!

Lol i stumbled on this by pure luck on gamefaqs,theirs people excited for the game talking about it over there. Im glad i found out when its close to release,didnt have to deal with months of suspense. Excited as hell

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